Northern Illinois Weekender - 071820

Weekender NORTHERN

ILLINOIS

YOUR GUIDE TO ARTS & LEISURE IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS

SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2020 • ShawMediaIllinois.com

ADVENTURE AWAITS The Forge: Lemont Quarries reaching new heights / 4

SUMMER BBQ

Indulge in local hot spots for smoked meats and sauce / 3

CATCHING THE BIG ONE Kayak fishing making a splash in Ottawa / 6

UNCORKED

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An expert taster shares favorite finds to consider adding to your own wine racks.

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, July 18, 2020

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By JAMES NOKES

Surprising finds await in Côtes du Rhône wines

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nique bottle designs tie wines to a specific variety and region.

Individuality made Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles easily recognized, but the Rhône Valley had no such marker. The sun-drenched vineyards in the south of France named for the river that runs through them needed their own calling card.

They found it in 1967, when the Union of Côtes du Rhône winegrowers, a collective of 2,300 wine-growing families, found its own marker.

“Bordeaux has its own bottle and Burgundy has its own bottle,” said Cellier des Dauphins winemaker Laurent Paré. “If you want to make an impact, you’ve got to do something different. The bottle used to be even smaller and chubbier. So, we’ve kept the idea of the historic bottle, but we’ve made it elegant and thinner to show [the] range of the new brand.”

It’s a brand that is easy to fall in love with for its style and its price. Inside the “chubby” bottle with a Photo provided raised crest just above the label is a medium-bodied Cellier des Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Reserve Red 2018 seamred, the Cellier des Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Reserve lessly blends 60% grenache and 40% syrah.

Red 2018 ($13.99), that seamlessly blends 60% grenache and 40% syrah.

2.0 version that was more accessible to the customIn the blend, Paré showcased the vibrant, juicy er. We have a riper, more balanced, high-quality red fruit and spice notes offered by grenache, and wine.” the floral, delicate violet and black cherry flavors The Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2019 ($13.99) brought forth by syrah. showed a remarkable tension between the three There’s no “harsh tannins,” Paré said, and the main flavors and aromas of citrus, grapefruit and flavor profile perfectly fits the “2.0 version” they floral notes. were going for when they redesigned the bottle and It’s crisp, fresh and drinks like it belongs on the label. back porch and deck or poolside on a warm summer “When we did our upgrade, we had more to night, which is exactly what Paré wanted. achieve,” Paré said. “We adapted our grapes to the

“Rosé is all about pleasure,” Paré said. “It’s a no-brainer to be with friends and enjoy it. It’s a versatile wine, too, that can pair with food or just chill with friends as an aperitif.”

Freshness is the key for Paré, who goes to extraordinary lengths to preserve what he Laurent Paré said is a “special quality.” The red grapes harvested for rosé are brought in a little earlier than usual, and a cold fermentation is done in the cellar to keep the grapefruit and citrus flavors intact.

“With just a touch of bitter, you feel like you want another glass,” Paré said. “You’ve got to find the balance and not make a wine that is too heavy or too acidic.”

There is a wide array of wines from Cellier des Dauphins that highlights specific appellations, vineyards and varietals. Expansion of the brand continues as Paré said, with a new rosé, sparkling rosé and wine-dedicated vineyards planted at high altitudes.

“We are in one of the sunniest areas of France,” Paré said. “We get over 300 days of sunshine. We have the mistral winds that blow out the clouds and let us naturally ripen.”

The Rhône wines made from sunny days are perfect for your sunny summer day.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.

BETWEEN THE PAGES

‘You Again’ a mystery about a woman colliding with her younger self

By LISA ZEIDNER

Special to The Washington Post Abigail Willard meets herself coming and going.

Literally. The heroine of Debra Jo Immergut’s second novel, “You Again,” keeps colliding with her younger self in New York. Abigail, a married, middle-aged mother of two, at first assumes she’s seeing a freakishly similar look-alike. But the girl with her hairstyle is wearing her shoes and raincoat, and she is making out with Abigail’s dangerous addict ex-boyfriend on a street corner: It is, maybe, Abigail herself. And her younger self must be warned.

“You Again” (Ecco Press) is an alluring mystery from Immergut, whose first novel, “The Captives,” was nominated for an Edgar Award. It’s also an elegant literary puzzle. The novel’s epigraph is from Jorge Luis Borges’s

“Labyrinths,” and Immergut has constructed her tale as an ingenious maze.

Is Abigail, a talented painter who abandoned her art for marriage, parenthood and a dull job as an art director, experiencing a typical midlife crisis, “hallucinating about my lost youth, the road not taken, etc.,” as she muses in her diary? She’s certainly checking things off the midlife crisis to-do list, including an infidelity. On the other hand, “surely the most confused person on the planet” may have something seriously wrong with her: psychiatrically, neurologically.

Trying to crack the Abigail case is the job of the novel’s secondary cast.

Police detective Jameson Leverett meets her when her budding-activist teenage son is arrested for an antifa action. The detective has funneled her file to a neurologist in Montreal, and to a physics professor in California. It isn’t giving away too much to reveal that their research focuses on an accident that occurred when Abigail was exactly the age of her Manhattan doppelganger. Emails between this trio to discuss their hypotheses on her bizarre behavior are scattered throughout the novel, along with some enigmatic therapists’ notes on both Abigail and her mysterious double, known only as “A.” “You Again” offers a sophisticated argument about the nature of time and memory: “Although we experience time as unidimensional – as a unidirectional sequence of events – physicists have known this to be an illusion since Einstein.” But Immergut doesn’t dismiss

the more workaday concerns of her Brooklyn couple as they try to be good parents and citizens of a New York that, like Abigail and her husband, Dennis, irretrievably has changed.

Balancing the kinetic plot – which involves, among other things, a beheaded pigeon, a fire and an international ring of thieves – with a realistic portrait of an ordinary marriage is no mean feat. But Immergut writes well about the kind of weary, inchoate longing that can grow to define a longterm marriage.

Immergut, who, like her heroine, toiled at a soul-killing day job for many years, writes with clarity and compassion about “ambitions that refused to be thwarted.” Think of “You Again” as “A Portrait of the Artist as a Not-SoYoung Woman” on a shelf that would include Claire Messud’s “The Woman Upstairs” – but with the addition of a mystery as a compelling chaser.

Photo provided

BARBECUE MASTERS

Sweet & smoky thrives from Texas, Memphis to Carolina styles

By VICKI MARTINKA PETERSEN For Shaw Media

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hicago might be known for its style of hot dog and deep-dish pizza, but there are plenty of places to indulge in smoked meats drenched in a homemade sauce. Check out for yourself some of the best barbecue joints in northern Illinois.

Be sure to visit their websites for the latest menu offerings and most up-to-date hours.

McHENRY COUNTY BBQ King Smokehouse 125 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, 11706 Coral St., Huntley www.bbqkingsmokehouse.com BBQ King Smokehouse’s award-winning ribs have been featured at rib fests around the country, including the New England Rib Fest in Maine and the Capital City Rib Fest in Nebraska. Brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken also can help satisfy your barbecue cravings. All entrees come with a drink and your choice of sweet potato fries, mac and cheese or fried potato salad. Place your order seven days a week at either location.

DuPAGE COUNTY Uncle Bub’s Award Winning BBQ 132 S. Cass Ave., Westmont, www.unclebubs.com For more than 20 years, this family-owned barbecue haven has served up premium cuts of pork, beef, ribs and chicken. The meats are dry rubbed with a secret blend of spices, then placed in a hardwood smoker for hours. Quench your hankering for a pulled-pork sandwich or a slab of ribs covered

in Uncle Bub’s award-winning sauce. Or feed the whole family with either the Pig Out package (full slab of baby back ribs, two pounds of pulled pork and sides) or the Uncle Bub’s special (your choice of pulled pork or chicken and sides).

DeKALB COUNTY Fatty’s Pub & Grille 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb, www.fattysniu.com If you’re planning to dine at home but with a night off from cooking, Fatty’s has you covered with specialties including hand-pulled pork shoulder tossed in its house barbecue sauce. The full menu is available for curbside carryout or delivery to DeKalb, Sycamore, Malta and Cortland. Add a growler or cocktail kit to your order, if you’d like to take dinner at home to the next level. Patrons also will find an expansive patio where they can kick back and relax this summer.

KANE COUNTY Firewater BBQ & Brew 524 W. State St., Geneva, www.firewaterbbq.com Firewater’s hand-rubbed and slow-smoked baby back ribs slide right off the bone as a tasty morsel in your mouth. The savory meats are served with your choice of bread or as an openface sandwich. Take the night off from cooking and order a family package with your choice of Granny’s bone-in smoked chicken quarters; a Granny’s combo with chicken and ribs that are wet or dry rubbed and slow smoked; or the J.B. package with your choice of pulled pork, beef brisket or smoked chicken.

WILL COUNTY Station One Smokehouse 15025 S. Des Plaines St., Plainfield, www.stationonesmokehouse.com For a taste of central Texas barbecue, check out Station One Smokehouse. Try the pulled-chicken or pulled-pork sandwiches, or pick up a half pound of sliced or chopped brisket, ribs, salmon or smoked turkey. The hot sides feature the ultimate in comfort food from mac and cheese to a tater tot casserole. Or get classic cold sides like cole slaw and potato salad.

KENDALL COUNTY Southbank Original Barbecue 129 E. Hydraulic St., Yorkville, www.southbankoriginalbarbecue.com Nestled along the Fox River, Southbank serves up slow-cooked barbecue smoked over oak and hickory. The dinner for four offers your choice of two meats – pulled pork, pulled chicken or tri tip – and choice of three sides – mac and cheese, cheesy potatoes, bourbon baked beans or cole slaw. For the ultimate in comfort food, mac and cheese bowls come topped with barbecue meat and sauce

LaSALLE COUNTY Stone Jug Barbecue 1920 Fourth St., Peru, www.stonejugbbq.com The dry rub and applewood smoked meats at Stone Jug Barbecue offer diners a taste of Memphis-style barbecue with a sweet, tangy spice. Amp up your barbecue sandwich with a cole slaw topper or smother the St. Louis-style ribs with your choice of signature, honey gold, peach chipotle or Alabama white sauce.

3 SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, July 18, 2020

The Station One Smokehouse team in Plainfield offers pork belly.

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TOWERING

HEIGHTS The Forge: Lemont Quarries outdoor adventure park breaks national and global records

By RYAN SEARL

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rsearl@shawmedia.com

magine this: You’re perched on a small platform more than 70 feet in the air. In the distance, you can see the Chicago skyline surrounded by a vast network of cities, rivers and canals. To get to this dizzying height, you just climbed, rung by rung, through a colossal aerial challenge course featuring more than 50 exhilarating rope elements, any one of which wouldn’t look out of place on TV’s “American Ninja Warrior.” Your reward for reaching this summit is a chance to zip line across a 1,100-foot line, reaching staggering speeds of up to 30 mph.

This is Skyscraper Tower, the single-tallest climbing, rappelling and zip-lining tower structure in the United States, and just one of the countless adventures you’ll find at The Forge: Lemont Quarries, a one-of-a-kind adventure park that opened July 17.

By now, you’ve likely heard about The Forge, or run across some jaw-dropping photos of the new facility that have been flying around social media. The 300-plus-acre, state-of-theart outdoor adventure park, located less than an hour from Chicago and mere minutes from downtown Lemont, is the product of a multiyear development of the Heritage Quarries Recreational Area.

The onetime limestone mine has been transformed through a pioneering public-private partnership between the village of Lemont, Lemont Township and The Forge Co., resulting in an unparalleled park that seamlessly blends technology, ecology and good, old-fashioned outdoor recreation.

This oasis for outdoor activity features the three tallest ropes towers

IF YOU GO ■■ WHAT: The Forge: Lemont Quarries ■■ WHERE: 1001 Main St., Lemont ■■ HOURS: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily ■■ INFO: www.forgeparks.com in the world, the largest outdoor adventure course in North America, and the longest and tallest zip lines in the Tri-State area, as well as the region’s most advanced outdoor skills course and pump tracks for BMX and mountain-bike enthusiasts.

Jeremie Bacon, Forge co-founder and a Lemont resident, said the idea for the park had been brewing for more than a decade.

“I started talking with a handful of people back in 2006, even before I moved to Lemont, saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to have a ropes course out here in the quarries.’ So, for me, the connection to this place goes all the way back to the mid-2000s, but Chris [Gladwin] and I really began conceptualizing and planning what The Forge would become in late 2015,” Bacon said.

It may come as a surprise that this purpose-driven, outdoor adventure park is the combined dream of Bacon and Gladwin, two veterans of the Chicago information technology and software development scene, and Bart Loethen, a Chicago-based attorney, but all three co-founders share a deep love for outdoor recreation.

“Jeremie used to be a sponsored triathlete, and I had been doing a lot of adventure races and orienteering,” Gladwin said. “We both got into ultramarathons at the same time and did some races together. That’s really when we started developing the idea

Photos provided

ABOVE: The Eight Towers Adventure will offer rare thrills including a zip line that tops 1,000 feet. BELOW: An array of recreational challenges awaits visitors looking for adventure, with The Forge designed to offer experiences for every age and ability level.

for what would become The Forge.”

From day one, the co-founders were committed to creating a community-focused, authentic outdoor experience catering to all ages and abilities.

Many trails and access points in the park are ADA accessible, ensuring guests with mobility challenges have access to freely explore the park.

The Forge also features an ADA-accessible kayak and canoe ramp, and an entire series of aerial-challenge courses and zip-line components that

enable participants with mobility challenges the opportunity to participate in thrilling activities at height. A harness-and-belay guidewire system, one of only three of its kind in the U.S., enables guests with mobility challenges to experience part of the park’s signature piece, the Eight Towers Adventure, and the thrill of a 1,000-foot, zip-line ride over a scenic, 12-acre lake.

See THE FORGE, page 5

• THE FORGE

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From page 4

Photo provided

The East and West X Towers at The Forge: Lemont Quarries feature multiple routes of varying difficulty, sure to challenge any rock climber. designed to cater to everyone from your everyday adventurers, the people that just live for outdoor activities, to novices that are looking to take their first steps into this world,” Bacon said. “We built the park around three pillars: exhilarate, educate and entertain. We see our outdoor education programming as connecting the dots between the entertainment, like the concerts and film screenings we have planned for the future, and all the great adventure activities.”

Whether you’re looking to just grab a health-

ful snack at The Foundry, The Forge’s on-site, open-concept dining area, and enjoy the park’s scenic conservation efforts or if you’re ready to face the monumental, 10-acre Eight Towers Adventure course head on, there are new exploits and varied pleasures awaiting everyone.

The Forge: Lemont Quarries is at 1001 Main St. in Lemont. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with special members-only hours from 8 to 10 a.m.

For information on day passes, single-activity passes and memberships, go to www.forgeparks.com.

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, July 18, 2020

The minds behind The Forge also know that now, more than ever, parents are looking for fun and family-friendly outdoor activities. With this in mind, they developed the Two Towers Kids Zone, a scaled-down version of the Eight Towers Adventure, featuring a netted challenge course with large climbing nets, zip lines and balance beams.

Other kid-approved activities at The Forge include Augmented Reality Adventure Games and Tactical Outdoor Laser Tag. “When we first sat down and started designing the park, we said we wanted this to be a place where anyone from age 3 to 93 could feel comfortable and part of a community,” Bacon said.

At The Forge, guests only pay for special events and programs (concerts, seasonal events, group classes) and activities requiring waivers. This means that, unlike many other parks, parents or guardians don’t need a pass just to watch the kids or to soak in the scenery.

“We did a lot of market studies when we were first looking at building the park, and one of the things we found is that people have a near universal desire to get outside and do stuff,” Gladwin said. “I remember when I was in high school and I used to jog around my neighborhood, people would stare at me like, what is that? Are you running? Things have really changed since then. There’s a general understanding of fitness and a desire to participate in outdoor recreation, and that’s only been increasing in recent years.”

“The aerial adventure courses, the mountain-biking trails, the pump tracks, the paddle sports, even the digital activities, they were

STARVED ROCK COUNTRY Dedicated to growing the awareness of everything the Starved Rock area has to offer

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Photo provided by Quest Watersports

Pedal-powered kayaks steadily have gained in popularity for sport fishers.

Kayak fishing making a mighty splash

By RYAN SEARL

rsearl@shawmedia.com In recent years, kayak fishing has grown from being a niche activity in the world of sport fishing to a near worldwide phenomenon. The hobby rapidly is being adopted by everyone from lifelong anglers to people purchasing their very first watercraft, often citing maneuverability, ease of transportation and low operational costs as major selling points.

Above all else, what seemed to really spark the revolution was the fishing community’s eventual adoption of pedal-powered kayaks. We talked to Jeff Heimsoth of Quest Watersports in Ottawa, a dealer of industry-leading, Hobie-brand kayaks and pedalboards, about the perks of fishing with a pedal-powered vessel.

“Kayak fishing has certain advantages over a traditional boat; it gives

you excellent precision, it runs very quietly and you can venture into much shallower waters,” said Heimsoth. “That’s the beauty of it, you can strap the kayak to the roof of your car, or in your trunk bed, and can easily put it into any body of water, from oceans to ponds.”

Nearly 15 years ago, Hobie Kayaks, based out of Oceanside, California, developed its very first MirageDrive.

This whisper-quiet drive system replaces cumbersome paddles with a pair of super-efficient pedals, which turn two underwater fins that propel the craft. In the years since the first MirageDrive hit the market, Hobie further refined the unique propulsion system, allowing users to make very fine-tuned movements, ideal for fishermen.

“Having a pedal drive allows any kayaker to cover more ground, hands free, with much more control. Within

the last 10 years, Hobie has really refined some of their models with fishing in mind,” said Heimsoth.

While these kayaks originally weren’t designed for sport fishers, Hobie saw there was demand out there in the fishing community and began to develop new models geared directly toward them. New for 2020, the Pro Angler 360 series allows you to move your kayak seamlessly in any direction, 360 degrees. This level of control was previously only available with obtrusive and noisy paddles Quest Watersports, conveniently located just a few minutes from I-80, offers a wide inventory of new and pre-used Hobie kayaks and pedalboards. If you’d like to test one out for yourself, Quest features regular free demo days at nearby Heritage Harbor. There, you’ll be able to try a selection of the latest models for yourself, to see what best fits you and your

fishing set-up.

Can’t wait for a demo day? Quest also offers hourly and full-day rentals until Oct. 1, weather permitting.

Quest’s rental fleet includes Hobie kayaks with MirageDrive, stand-up pedalboards and stand-up paddleboards.

“Kayak fishing has really evolved from a niche thing to a mainstream part of the fishing world. There are now prize packages at kayak competitions that reach well into the six-figures range,” Heimsoth said. “Fishing kayaks have become really specialized to the sport, with features like rod holders, catch bags and mounts for equipment. They’re a great option for anglers.”

For more information on Quest Watersports, log onto www.questwatersports.com or call 815-433-2200. The business is located at 1800 N. 2871st Road in Ottawa.

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By PAM OTTO

Taking interesting dives into the natural world around us, Pam Otto opens new avenues of exploration.

Light-phobic spider hides deft hunting skills

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n these days of physical distancing, the sight of a familiar face can bring immeasurable joy. Even, it turns out, if that face is brick red, with six eyes and two large fangs.

(OK, I suppose it helps if you’re a naturalist or spider fancier, or at the very least able to squelch the primal instinct to yelp and squash the likes of such startling wee beasts. But even if not, stick with me on this one. This little critter’s a real hoot!)

A Wednesday had started out pretty much like any other work-at-home day, a routine that has become my new normal: feed the pets, play with the dogs, fight the cat for the laptop keyboard and get down to business.

But that morning, around 9:30, the warm sunshine and birdsong beckoned, so I decided to move the office, as it were, outside. And that’s when the day took a turn.

Looking down from the deck to the yard, I saw the compost bin was a literal hive of activity. Small creatures of all types were bustling about, hovering over the lid and climbing in the holes, no doubt tending to their important jobs of breaking down my coffee grounds, banana peels and yard waste.

It occurred to me that it had been awhile since I’d given the bin a turn, and my dog Joey was begging for another round of fetch, so we headed down the stairs to the lawn. I tossed the ball and while awaiting its return, tipped the compost can on its side.

And that’s when I saw her.

Oh, Dysdera crocata, how I’ve missed you.

This species, also known as the woodlouse spider, is exactly the sort of underdog for which I like to cheer.

It’s not the biggest spider around (that honor goes to the Dolomedes fishing spiders) nor is it the spider species that, judging by emails and voicemails, attracts the most attention.

(That category actually is tied between wolf spiders and orbweavers such as garden and house spiders.)

What the woodlouse spider brings to the table – well, actually brings under the table, as the species is famously photophobic, or afraid of light – is an assortment of features that should be the envy of nature enthusiasts everywhere.

Let’s start with those fangs, which protrude quite notably from the jaws, or chelicerae. They’re over 1/8-inch long, which is impressive for any spider, let alone one with a body 1/2-inch long, not including the legs.

Photo provided

Noted for its red coloring and large fangs, the woodlouse spider is named for the prey it often consumes.

But as is so often the case with animal physiology, those long, sharp, venom-injecting organs aren’t there to vex humans. Rather, they are exquisitely adapted to helping the spider subdue its namesake prey – the group of critters known communally as woodlice.

You might know these guys better as roly-polies, sowbugs and pillbugs.

Their hard, segmented exoskeleton and multitude of legs, along with a few other less obvious characteristics, cause us to classify them as isopods, which are a type of crustacean.

Let’s digress for a moment and reflect upon the last time you ate a crustacean. In fact, let’s get specific and envision that king of crustaceans, the lobster. A tough exoskeleton, so vital to the lobster while living, poses a considerable barrier when arrayed on a platter. It’s pretty, and pretty tough. You likely had to perform a considerable amount of peeling and/ or cracking, followed by probing, to get to the good stuff. You might’ve even worn a bib.

The woodlouse spider, by contrast, feeds on crustaceans as if they were popcorn shrimp. OK, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But still, D. crocata is so efficient at what it does, it makes the rest of us crustacean consumers look like rank amateurs.

For starters, D. crocata is an active hunter. It doesn’t spin a sticky web to capture its prey; it instead relies on stealth and speed, surprising and overpowering its dinner under the dark of night (or amid the dark recesses of compost bins, rock piles and logs, should it be ambushing breakfast or lunch).

Powered by strong chelicerae, which can open to an inspiring width, the fangs pierce the crustacean’s body; the venom, which is not particularly harmful to humans, immobilizes the prey and ingestion soon follows – no bib required.

That morning, as I pondered the woodlouse spider under the compost bin, I couldn’t help but feel a kinship with her. There we were, both isolated but also intricately connected to our

surroundings – me with my dog and his ball, she with the roly-polies and other creatures of the soil.

My rude intrusion, and the resulting glare from the bright sun, caused her to put her little legs up over her six eyes – much the same way I do when woken indelicately. (Well, except that I use my arm, and shield only two eyes.)

And then there was her abdomen, grayish tan and somewhat bloated – not unlike an engorged tick. After weeks at home with a well-stocked pantry … well, let’s just say I can relate.

As we undergo a continuing stretch of distancing, you might want to get to know some of your less familiar nature neighbors. Poke under a log or peek under a rock. And if you happen upon a woodlouse spider, tell her I say hi!

• Pam Otto is the outreach ambassador for the St. Charles Park District.

She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, July 18, 2020

GOOD NATURED

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, July 18, 2020

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